V8 Supercar driver Paul Dumbrell refused to back down in his spat with young gun Shane Van Gisbergen, maintaining if he has the chance he will get revenge – without breaking the rules.
After two weeks of a verbal stoush on the airwaves and in print, Dumbrell maintains that Van Gisbergen plays dirty on the track. Ironically the pair sat side by side post-practice after finishing first and third at today’s Falken Tasmania Challenge.
Dumbrell had called Van Gisbergen an ‘oxygen thief’ amongst other things after the Armor All Gold Coast 600 when the pair clashed in practice. He stands by what he said.
“I’m not going to throw away a good result to settle a score but if there’s an instance that we come together on track … at the end of the day I am a person of integrity and I’m not going to do anything stupid,” Dumbrell said.
“There were four or five instances this year that were out of line. There are grudges up and down pit lane and I’ve come out and said what I think. I will get penalised if I am at fault and I won’t if I get away with it.
“He certainly knew what I thought and I stand by what I say. I’m not going to be pushed around. If someone is going to do that I will retaliate. I didn’t start it.”
Dumbrell retires at the end of the year. He was first in practice today, smashing the practice record at Symmons Plains, at the track he scored his first podium last year, wanting to end his career on a high.
“I have openly said Shane has achieved more than me, will win more races and will have more success. I am going to leave the sport with no massive success but I want to leave the sport in the right way.”
Van Gisbergen was initially reluctant to weigh in on the debate until coaxed.
“Not a bad start for an oxygen thief. I won’t be asking him to drive with me next year,” Van Gisbergen said.
“I am not worried about it. I read the comments and watched the video show. It’s not nice getting called that stuff in public but I will just get on with it. We are racers and we will sort it out.”
Dumbrell is hopeful of a win this weekend before he retires, a decision he does not regret but still struggles with knowing he won’t get another chance.
“Do I regret the decision – absolutely 100 per cent. But I will regret not retiring even more, if that makes sense. It’s a pretty sad but I’ve been in the game nine years, I’m no spring chicken,” Dumbrell said.
“I will take advantage of the over-inflated price of co-drivers at the moment. I have a lot of friends up and down pit lane so there’s a chance I might get to drive with them and a shot at the biggest race of the year.”
The Dumbrell-Van Gisbergen controversy took away from the fact that Craig Lowndes, second in the Championship to TeamVodafone team-mate Jamie Whincup, finished second as he, too, starts an intense battle for the 2011 drivers’ title.
Dumbrell's stablemate Winterbottom was fourth fastest while Bundaberg Racing's Fabian Coulthard completed the top five just days after it was announced that Russell Ingall would be replacing him at the Walkinshaw Racing factory.
Championship leader Whincup was sixth fastest with Garth Tander, David Reynolds, Tim Slade and Will Davison all making it into the top 10.
Tomorrow starts with qualifying and the shorter 120km race with Sunday a second qualifying session followed by a longer 200km race.
Cole Hitchcock | Media Manager | D +61 7 5630 0315
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